The NCAA award, first presented in 1999 as the Outstanding
Sports Persons of the Year Award, honors student-athletes who,
through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate
athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of
sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty,
unselfishness, respect and responsibility. The award was renamed
the NCAA Sportsmanship Award in 2001.

Scutari was nominated because of an incident in a game on March
14, 2009, when she was able to maintain her focus and calm after a
physical and dangerous play that allowed the Eagles to maintain
possession of the ball in the final seconds of the game and claim a
10-9 victory.

Scutari secured a loose ball in front of the UMW goal after an
opponent turnover in the final 33 seconds of the game. The opponent
swung her stick, hitting Scutari in the back of both legs and
knocking her to the ground. The opponent was disqualified from the
game, and UMW was able to hold on to the ball and the one goal win.

Following the game, the game officials told Mary Washington
coach Dana Hall that players tend to retaliate in
that situation. The officials were impressed that Scutari calmly
got up, brushed herself off and set about the task of preparing to
get the ball out of the defensive end of the field to protect the
lead and the win.

"I am proud of Ashley's ability to stay calm under extreme
physical pain and play through an unsportsmanlike act, maintaining
her mental toughness," Hall said.

Scutari, who started all 22 games for the 2009 Eagles and
contributed one goal, 35 ground balls, 25 draw controls and 14
caused turnovers, was a leader of the UMW squad, that included more
11 freshmen on a 21-member team. The Eagles finished with a 14-8
overall record, advanced to the CAC Championship game after placing
third in the regular season and earned an at-large bid to the 2009
NCAA Championship Tournament.